To the Rescue
by Crazedtroll
Summary: Team Flash is still trying to get used to changes caused by the singularity when an old friend comes to them for help. The second in my Meta-Tests series. Can be read alone but might enjoy more if you've read Meta-Tests first.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hallo folks! Sorry it took so long to get started posting this. This is the second story in my Meta-Tests verse. If you've not read that story, you should be okay here, but you might enjoy and understand this one better if you read it first. Like all my stories, this is complete, but I'll be posting the chapters over time as I edit them. Speaking of editing, I've lost my Beta... so if anyone out there is willing to be a victim... I mean Beta, let me know! Please enjoy and leave me any feedback! As always, I make no money and the characters are not mine! - CT**_

Chapter 1 : An Unexpected Visitor

Thunder rumbled overhead and Cisco Ramon glowered at the ceiling as he looked up from his work. In his hand, he held a pen which he was tapping repeatedly on his table. A hand shot out, stilling his own. Pulling away, Cisco glowered at the man sitting next to him. He looked like Eobard Thawne. At least, like Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash. The others seemed to think he was Harrison Wells, but Cisco was less willing to believe. After Eobard had vanished and Barry had closed the singularity the man sitting next to Cisco had been found buried in rubble left from the singularity. Despite how he'd been found, Cisco couldn't bring himself to think of the other as Harrison Wells. Even after subjecting the man to a series of tests and living the merged timeline in his dreams, Cisco didn't trust the other man.

"Mr. Ramon, I realize you do not trust me at all, but would you please stop beating the desk to death with your pen," Dr. Harrison Wells requested, pulling his hand away and trying not to let the other man's reaction hurt him. Det. Joe West had tried to explain everything they'd lived through and Harrison found reminding himself that someone masquerading as him had murdered Cisco helped some.

"Sorry Dr. Wells," Cisco replied, trying not to glare. They'd slipped into the formal titles when the truth had come out. That wasn't true, Cisco had always called his boss Dr. Wells. Dr. Wells had started calling Cisco "Mr. Ramon," when the truth had come out. Oddly enough, Joe had started calling the older man Harrison.

"Look, Mr. Ramon, I'm only down here because you asked me to look over some calculations. I will return to my office as soon as we're through here," Harrison reminded Cisco.

"I hope it can wait," a female voice said. Looking up, both men were surprised to see Felicity Smoak standing in the doorway.

"Ms. Smoak, what brings you to STAR labs?" Harrison asked, looking up. He almost smiled.

"I asked Barry to meet me here," Felicity said, holding her phone up. "Don't want to have to repeat myself." There was a blast of wind and Barry Allen stood before them.

"Hey, Felicity. What's up? You said it was important," Barry said, looking at the two scientists.

"It is, but I'll wait for Detective West and Caitlin," Felicity said somberly. "I texted them both about an hour ago asking them to meet us here in a few minutes."

"Hey, you rang?" Joe asked, coming into the room followed by Caitlin.

"Well, Ms. Smoak, we appear to all be here, so I believe you can tell your story now," Harrison said, steering his chair away from Cisco. Frowning at the tension she could feel between the two men, Felicity shrugged it off and decided to jump into her story.

"I need you to come to Starling City," Felicity declared. There were a number of grunts of confusion, only Harrison seemed to simply respond with the arch of an eyebrow. "What I mean is, I need your help. Have you heard what happened at Palmer Technologies?"

"Uhm, no," Barry said, looking to the others in the group. They'd all been very busy dealing with the aftermath of the singularity and it's closure. Then of course, they'd discovered Dr. Wells in the rubble left after the singularity and they were still trying to figure out how much to trust him.

"There was an explosion, shortly before the singularity opened up here, I believe," Harrison said. All eyes turned to him. "I spent several days in a hospital bed. There wasn't much to do other than watch the news," he informed them upon seeing their looks. "Did they ever find out what caused the explosion?"

"No," Felicity replied. She was happy someone knew what had happened because it saved her from trying to get herself through it. "And it gets worse."

"I believe Mr. Palmer was listed as missing," Harrison said, seeing tears in the corner of Felicity's eyes. "So, am I correct in assuming you want us to come to Starling City to see if we can figure out what happened?" Felicity nodded and the tears started to fall.

"Ray had apparently put the company in my name, so I have the company jet waiting at the airport. We can leave as soon as you're ready. I have a couple of hotel rooms reserved too," Felicity said.

"Well, Ms. Smoak, I can't speak for everyone else, but I would be more than happy to help you out," Harrison said. "I can meet you all at the airport in about an hour."

"Thank you," Felicity said. With one final nod, Harrison turned his wheelchair and left the room.

"I can be ready in a matter of minutes," Barry said. "You know I'm here for you."

"Count me in too," Joe added. "But, I'm going to need about an hour to be packed and to the airport."

"Felicity, you know we are all willing to help out," Caitlin said. "So, we'll meet you at the airport in an hour." The group nodded and headed out, Cisco and Felicity staying behind.

"Everything okay?" Felicity asked Cisco. He had an odd look on his face. "Look, I know you and Ray had gotten close, so if this is too painful for you…"

"No, that's not it," Cisco said, standing. He glanced in the direction everyone else had gone before shaking his head in frustration. "It's just… what do you remember about Dr. Wells?"

"Uhm, that he's always been here for you guys?" Felicity arched an eyebrow in confusion. "Cisco, what's going on?"

"Check it, one of Eddie's descendants came back in time, killed Barry's mom and then killed Dr. Wells and took his place," Cisco started. "Only when Barry went back to save his mom… things didn't go as planned and this descendant of Eddie's was going to kill everyone, so Eddie killed himself."

"Thus changing the timeline. Is that what caused the black hole in the sky?" Felicity asked. They were walking slowly towards the elevator.

"Right. So anyhow, this Dr. Wells/Thawne guy vanishes before our eyes cause he's erased from existence. Barry closes the singularity and all seems right as rain. Until, Barry finds a badly injured Dr. Wells in the rubble left by the destruction caused by the singularity."

"So, now you don't know if you can trust Dr. Wells," Felicity summed up. "Wait, why don't I remember any of this?"

"Well, Barry and Dr. Wells think that we were shielded because we were in STAR labs when the singularity opened. According to Joe, Dr. Wells thinks two separate timelines merged creating the one we're in now."

"Makes sense to me," Felicity said.

"Yeah. But, we tried testing him and all his tests came back normal."

"Okay, look. I think I understand. I may not completely understand it all, but it sounds to me like maybe you should just keep an eye on this guy. Honestly though Cisco, he was the first to volunteer and I can't imagine what it's like to travel in a wheelchair. As it is, I need to notify the building manager. We'll have to make special arrangements to get Dr. Wells up to the damaged floors."

"That's what you think. What if he doesn't need the wheelchair?"

"Cisco, trust me. I visited with Barry while he was in the coma enough to have watched Dr. Wells struggle with getting used to that wheelchair and the paralysis. He crashed into so much stuff the first few weeks he was driving that chair... He needs the wheelchair." Patting Cisco on the back, Felicity smiled at him before quickly changing the subject. At the moment, the hacker didn't care who helped her if it meant finding out what had happened to Ray.


	2. Chapter 2: The Airport

Chapter 2 : One Hour Later - Airport

Felicity paced between the chairs at the airport. Everyone had arrived except Dr. Wells. They still had five minutes before the pilot said they needed to load, but she was worried that the scientist wouldn't make it in time. Seeing how worried she was, Joe had offered to go back through the airport to see if he could find the other man. At Felicity's desperate nod, Joe set off.

Joe had almost made it all the way back to the baggage check when he spotted Harrison. The scientist was using the manual chair he usually used for exercise. A security guard was hassling him. It seemed the guard had just randomly stopped Harrison. Frowning, Joe jogged over, wondering what could be going on.

"So you're saying security just let you through," the guard was practically growling.

"Yes," Harrison replied. He nodded at Joe as the detective arrived. "Detective West. Pardon my delay. This gentlemen is uncomfortable with the level of security I had to go through when I arrived."

"Hey, I didn't say that," the guard growled.

"Hey, Detective Joe West," Joe said, showing his badge. "Dr. Wells here is supposed to be boarding a plane with my party. We've been asked to assist with an investigation. Our plane is leaving in five minutes. You can walk us to the boarding area of you want," Joe offered.

"What are you flying?"

"Palmer Technologies private jet," Joe supplied. He glanced down at Harrison, noticing a grimace pass over the man's face. "You okay Harrison? Need me to push you?"

"Thank you Joe, I'd appreciate that." Watching as Harrison dropped his hands into his lap, Joe realized the other man looked completely exhausted.

"Look, since you're a cop, I'll let you two be on your way," the guard said. Glowering one last time at Harrison, the man left.

"Thank's for the rescue," Harrison said once the guard had left and Joe had started pushing him towards their gate.

"No problem. Where's the electric wheelchair?"

"Left it at home. I figure it will be more difficult for them to damage this one."

"Makes sense I guess. I've been meaning to ask you, if you don't mind, why do you use the electric?" Joe carefully steered them around a group of tourists as he spoke.

"Two reasons," Harrison answered, glancing back at his driver. "One is due to an old shoulder injury. I hurt my left shoulder pretty badly years ago during a friendly rugby match. While I can use the manual wheelchairs, extended use makes my shoulder ache and get stiff. Just my morning workouts are enough to make it hurt."

"Huh, I never imagined you as a rugby player," Joe said with a laugh. "And the second reason?"

"Pity," Harrison answered. "People see me working to use the manual wheelchair and they feel bad for me. They see me cruising along in my electric wheelchair and they don't feel like I need their pity." Joe opted not to reply to the revelation, but instead filed it away in his mental "Harrison Wells" folder.

"Well, here we are," Joe announced as they joined the group.

"Great! You found him!" Felicity said excitedly. "Dr. Wells, I'm sorry but the aisles aren't large enough for you to take your wheelchair on the plane."

"That's fine Felicity. If the rest of you want to go ahead and get on the plane, just leave me a seat right at the front edge and I'll get strapped into the transfer chair," Harrison answered. He tried to ignore the stare Cisco was giving him.

"Okay. Do you need any help?" Felicity looked from Harrison to the stewardess.

"I'm sure I'll be just fine. I'll see you all in a few minutes." Harrison gave her a reassuring smile and with a nod, Felicity rejoined the group and they trooped onto the plane. All, that is, except for Joe. "Det. West, please, don't feel a need to wait for me."

"I don't, but I thought you could use the company," Joe answered.

"I appreciate it," Harrison said, getting started on the task of transferring into the little transfer chair provided by the airport. The chair looked like a dolly made into a seat with a five point harness on it. Joe watched, wondering if there was anything he could do, but Harrison seemed to be adept at it. Walking along beside the chair as the stewardess pushed it, Joe glanced back to see crew folding the wheelchair. Glancing at Harrison he realized that the scientist had grabbed the cushion from the seat of the chair.

"So, Ronnie is joining us on this trip. You knew he was alive, right?"

"Yes," Harrison agreed. They reached the plane and the first seat they came to was empty, so the stewardess stopped. The younger members of the group were all discussing how awesomely sick the plane was with Felicity blushing brightly at their praise. Glancing back at the group, Joe caught Caitlin's eye and then watched Harrison transfer from the human dolly to the seat on the plane.

"Thank you," Harrison said to the stewardess, who nodded and left to put the transfer chair away. Watching her go, Harrison sighed and tried to ignore the fact that he was sitting in an airplane. Taking a deep breath, he glanced out the window.

"You doing alright?" Joe asked, taking the seat next to Harrison. "I know some folks with claustrophobia have issues with airplanes. Are you going to have a seizure or whatever on us?" He was referring to a seizure the scientist had experienced when the team were scanning him for their tests. The seizure had been triggered by Harrison's fear as he'd been put through the scanner.

"No. I think I'll be okay. Just, don't go too far. Having someone to talk to helps me keep my mind off of it." Looking nervous as he gripped the arm of the chair, Harrison tried to smile at the man next to him.

"When did it start? After the accelerator explosion?"

"After I'd been sent home from the hospital," Harrison agreed with a nod. "I had a few seizures in my bathroom. My doctor wanted me to get a service dog. He said with the seizures and paralysis, I'd qualify."

"But you didn't get a dog," Joe observed.

"There are more needy people out there. Besides, I learned to control the fear for the most part. I don't like being confined, but if I have free movement I'm pretty much okay." Harrison shrugged. "What about you? I know so little about you. I mean, I know you didn't like the fact that I was in better shape than you."

Joe laughed as the plane started to taxi. "You noticed that huh?" With a grin Harrison nodded. It was nice to have someone he could talk with. "Yeah, well, I guess I hadn't realized you kept such a strict workout routine. Hey, were you serious about me joining you?"

"Of course. I would be more than happy to have a workout buddy. Just, don't expect me to go easy on you." With a grin, Joe laughed and shook his head. It almost felt as if he'd been friends with Harrison for ages. The younger members of the group kept their distance, though with Joe to talk with, Harrison didn't feel the sting of rejection as badly.


	3. Starling City

Chapter 3: Starling City

They landed in Starling City late at night. Rather than going straight to their hotel, the cars Felicity had waiting for them at the airport deposited them in front of the Palmer Technologies building. As the group stood on the sidewalk gazing up, Felicity took a deep breath and summoned the courage she'd need to talk to them.

"The elevators have been shut down. Since the majority of the damage is towards the top of the building, we'll have to take the stairs. That's the bad news. The good news is that we have a winch system rigged up so we can basically ride some climbing ropes up." She looked around the group, taking in their responses. Dr. Wells didn't look very happy, but he didn't say anything.

"So, we're going in personal elevators basically?" Cisco asked, an eyebrow arched.

"Basically," a short woman wearing a hard hat said, stepping out of some shadows. "I'm Mckenzie Jones, folks call me Mac. I'll be taking you upstairs." She had climbing harnesses in one hand. "Ms. Smoak called ahead and told me about Dr. Wells, he'll go up in my group. Dr. Snow, Mr. Allen, and Mr. Raymond will ride up with Eric here." She patted the shoulder of a massive man who had stepped out next to her. "You'll be in the nearest stairwell. I'll take up Ms. Smoak, Detective West, Mr. Ramon, and Dr. Wells. Let's go." The short woman strode off in the direction of the other stairwell.

"Okay, she's a bit…" Cisco trailed off, uncertain how to describe her.

"Definitely a bit," Harrison agreed. He ignored the glower Cisco shot his way, instead following after the woman. By the time Cisco, Felicity, and Joe had caught up with them, Dr. Wells was sitting on the floor of the stairwell, pulling on a harness, a helmet covering his head. His wheelchair was already lifting into the air, vanishing from sight as it was pulled higher.

"Hope nobody is afraid of heights," Mac said. She already had her harness and helmet on and had started helping the rest of the group. "We secured the individual wenches about three weeks ago. They should hold us. Try to just relax and enjoy the ride."

They were all clipped in, Mac checking their rigging one last time before the winches started and they lifted from the floor. Cisco clung tightly to the rope, glancing over at Felicity. The hacker smiled at him, apparently used to the method of travel by now. She seemed to be enjoying herself. Looking down, Cisco realized that Dr. Wells was lower than the rest of them since the older man had started on the floor.

"At least nobody is wearing a skirt to tell me not to look up," Harrison said wryly. It elicited a snort from Joe and Cisco frowned. "Sorry." They continued up in silence. "Ms. Smoak, could you perhaps tell us what you do know about what we're going to investigate?"

"Oh, uh, sure Harrison," Felicity said. Glancing down at him, she tried not to think about her missing friend. "Well, the explosion happened in the evening. Nobody was in the building except security and Ray. The security guard was on the lower level and got out uninjured. There's been no sign of Ray."

"None at all?" Joe exchanged looks with Harrison. Felicity shook her head, fighting back tears.

"What about the rest of the floor?" Harrison prompted. "I'm sorry to make you go over this again, but the more you can tell us the better idea we'll have of what to look for."

"It just looks like an explosion occurred," Felicity supplied. "From what the fire department determined, the origin was the stand where Ray had been keeping his project." Felicity's eyes darted to Mac, apparently trying to let them know that the other woman didn't know about Ray's ATOM suit.

"Okay. We'll start our search there," Harrison declared. "I believe that Mr. Ramon, Caitlin, and I brought enough supplies to collect any samples we might need." They were several stories up now, the bottom looking miserably small. Cisco was trying his best not to look down, sweat beading on his forehead beneath his helmet. Suddenly, there was an odd noise and Cisco and Dr. Wells ground to a stop, Joe, Felicity, and Mac continuing up.

"Oh God!" Cisco clung to his rope. "What just happened?" He looked up at the woman who had strapped him into the contraption.

"Something must be wrong," Harrison said below.

"Ya think?" Cisco couldn't keep the panic out of his voice. He yelped as he dropped a little.

"Just stay calm," Harrison ordered. He too seemed to drop some.

"The supports on the winches must have weakened," Mac said. As she spoke there was a horrendous grinding noise and Cisco screamed as he dropped.

"Cisco!" Felicity, Joe, and Harrison all screamed the young engineer's name at the same time.


	4. Chapter 4: Cisco Falls

**Chapter 4: Cisco Falls**

The engineer's screaming stopped as he realized that he'd stopped falling. Somebody had caught him and was now hanging upside down as Cisco's weight flipped them. Looking up, Cisco was shocked to lock eyes with Harrison Wells. The scientist had managed to catch Cisco's arm as he'd fallen. Now the older man's face was bright red and he was grunting as he he struggled to keep a grip on his employee.

"Hang on Cisco," Harrison said. While their relationship was strained, he still cared about the young man. He'd never forgive himself if he let anything happen to the brilliant engineer.

"Dr. Wells," Cisco gasped. The other man looked horribly uncomfortable, his useless legs dangling oddly as he hung upside down. Grunting, the man started to move, as if he was trying to get Cisco to let go.

"Stop, what are you doing?" Cisco's eyes widened and he hung on tighter as they started to swing. Straining, Dr. Wells didn't answer him and Cisco realized in terror that his boss was about to kill him, letting him fall to his death.

Dr. Wells let go and Cisco screamed as he fell and hit the landing with a resounding "thump." Realizing he was now safe, Cisco's scream died in his throat and he looked up at Wells in shock. The scientist had a moment to sigh in relief as he saw Cisco was okay before his line snapped and he dropped. Seeing his boss vanish from sight, the engineer screamed again and rushed to the railing of the stairs looking down.

There, hanging from the railing of the stairs a floor below, hung Dr. Wells. He'd hit the railing and was hanging on tightly. "Could somebody maybe give me a hand or ten please," Harrison begged, unable to look around.

"Harrison, we're coming," Joe shouted. He started swinging towards the stairs where Cisco was still staring down at Dr. Wells. As Joe managed to get to the landing with Cisco, Mac started talking Felicity through doing the same. "Come on Cisco," Joe said tapping the other man on the shoulder and rushing down the stairs to where Harrison was clinging.

"Please, help," Harrison mumbled. Unable to see the action, he yelped when he felt a hand on his own.

"Oh, help. Thank you." With a grunt, Joe started pulling Harrison up, Cisco standing back and staring for a moment longer before jumping in to help when Joe's grip slipped a little.

"Pull," Joe ordered as he and Cisco started winning the battle to pull Harrison to safety. They got the majority of his body over the railing and collapsed into a pile on the landing, pulling him completely to safety and tangling the trio together in a painful mass of bodies.

"Ouch," Harrison complained as he was jostled around and finally managed to roll away to relative safety.

"I so did not need to do that," Cisco said, staring at the ceiling and trying to slow his pounding pulse.

"I think my body has now successfully dumped all of my adrenaline into my blood stream in one go," Harrison added. Taking a shaky breath, he sat up.

"Hey, look at me," Joe ordered, also sitting up and seeing a splash of blood on Harrison's neck. Following orders, Harrison looked to about the only friend he had in the new world and tried not to react when Joe reached out and undid the strap on his helmet.

"Ouch," Harrison grumbled.

"Yeah, I bet," Joe said as he examined the scrapes. "Looks like you took a layer of skin off your cheek and you cut your chin." Turning Harrison's head to the side and back, he found no other injuries.

"Stings like hell," Harrison grumbled.

"But you'll live. Anything broken?" Joe figured hitting the stair rail the way Harrison had must have hurt.

"No, just bruised I think. Honestly there's so much adrenaline in my system I can't feel anything. Mr. Ramon, are you okay?" Looking over Joe's shoulder, Harrison tried to figure out if Cisco was injured.

"Yeah," Cisco said tersely. Briefly he considered thanking Dr. Wells for saving his life, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He just couldn't trust the man. "What do we do now?"

"We'll finish it on foot," Mac said, coming to join the group. She was getting something out of her pack as she spoke.

"What about Harrison?" Joe asked, motioning at his friend.

"I think I can rig his harness to hook into mine," Mac said. "You don't look like you weigh too much so if you're willing to piggy back, I'll take you the rest of the way."

"Possibly the most demeaning way to travel, but I think my ego can take it," Harrison said with a shrug. "Just tell me what to do." Nodding, Mac knelt next to him and started going over everything. A few minutes later they were trudging up the stairs, Harrison strapped to Mac's back.


	5. Ray Palmer's Private Lab

_**Apologies for the delayed posting. Between FFN going down, re-writes, and family drama, I've not had time. I hope to start posting a new chapter every few days. I've completed my re-write for the ending and so just need to edit before I post. As always, I welcome comments and reviews, make no monies from this, and I'm still flying sans beta. Apologies for any atrocities committed against the English language. - CT**_

 **Chapter 5: Ray Palmer's Private Lab, fifteen minutes later**

Barry, Caitlin, and Ronnie were looking around the wreckage of Ray Palmer's lab while they waited for the others to join them. All the windows had been blasted out but plastic had been put in place, reducing the wind but not eliminating it completely. It blew through with a low groan as they stood waiting. Their guide had told them to wait until the other team arrived before they really started investigating. For the last fifteen minutes they'd had to satisfy themselves with looking but not touching. Several times Eric surreptitiously checked his watch, worrying the trio with each stealthy glance. Finally, a noise reached their ears and Felicity, Joe, and Cisco trooped onto the floor looking exhausted and a little shaken.

"Where's Dr. Wells and Mac?" Caitlin asked, immediately worried about the missing members.

"Here," Mac said entering. Dr. Wells followed her, wincing as he pushed the wheels on his chair.

"Oh my God, your face," Caitlin said, rushing over to Dr. Wells. "What happened?"

"My rope snapped," Cisco said. "Dr. Wells caught me and got me to safety just before his rope snapped." He looked almost like he was ready to forgive the man for the murder he hadn't committed but then Cisco looked away.

"We'll be going down on foot," Mac informed the group. "You can go ahead and start looking around now. Be careful of the areas roped off, the floor isn't very stable there."

"Right. Raymond family, please go ahead and start looking around. Collect samples of anything you think is of interest. Mr. Ramon, would you please help Mr. Allen see if he can find any remnants of the incendiary," Harrison said, clapping his hands together. Nodding, Ronnie and Caitlin moved off to see what they could find.

"What are you going to do?" Cisco asked, getting out the equipment he'd packed into his bag.

"I thought I'd take a look around. If there's something you think I should be doing, please let me know," Harrison said. At Cisco's silence, the older man shrugged, winced, and then turned his chair away, moving towards the blast origin.

Standing in the clear spot in the room, Felicity stared down, wondering if she was standing where Ray had died. Tears started to fall from her eyes and she wiped them away with a sniffle. A hand gently touched hers and she glanced down at it. The fingers were bruised and bloodied and she looked over into the serious face of Dr. Harrison Wells. He didn't speak, instead offering her a handkerchief. Taking it with her free hand, she wiped her eyes, holding his hand as an anchor.

"I'm sorry," Felicity said as she tried to return the handkerchief.

"For being upset that your friend is missing? Don't be." Harrison waved the handkerchief away. "Hold onto it. I don't need it." He gently squeezed her hand.

"Thank you. Cisco told me about what's been going on," Felicity said, tucking the square of wet fabric into her pocket. "About them not knowing you."

"Yes," he said with a sad nod. "The day of the singularity was a bad day for me. I've had a few of those." Sighing, he looked around. "Do you know what Ray was working on when the explosion occurred?"

"No," Felicity said, following his gaze around. "Oliver and I had left for a little vacation." The tears started to fall again as she wondered what would have happened if she hadn't run off with Oliver. Tugging on the hand he still held, Harrison reached out, massaging her upper arm.

"You are not to blame for this," he reassured her. "Ray is an extremely intelligent man who is capable of taking care of himself."

"You act like we're going to find him," Felicity said. As the tears kept building she leaned forwards and down to let Harrison envelope her in a hug.

"You never know," Harrison said, his uninjured cheek against Felicity's. "We might find him. Stranger things have happened." His dry comment made Felicity laugh. "Just don't give up on him." Harrison patted her back and let her go. Smiling at him, Felicity wiped the last of her tears away and nodded her thanks.


	6. Cisco Watches

**Chapter 6 Cisco Watches over the Team**

Cisco watched Felicity and Dr. Wells. While he knew the other man had saved his life, for the second time since the singularity, Cisco just couldn't forget what having his heart exploded felt like. Now, watching Felicity interact with the other man made Cisco's chest ache. They were almost acting like a couple, and Cisco wasn't even certain the man was safe. Maybe Eobard was still toying with them. Cisco wouldn't put it past the man to do something like that. Sighing, Cisco started searching through the ruined floor, hoping he would be able to find something that could bring hope to Felicity. As Cisco searched, Barry came over and joined him, his gaze taking everything in as he moved. For a while the two men worked silently. Finally, after nearly twenty minutes, Barry spoke.

"So, I guess your trip up here was scary," Barry said softly, glancing over towards where Dr. Wells had been working. Joe had joined the other man and the two were doing much the same as Barry and Cisco.

"Yeah," Cisco said with a sigh. "I thought I was dead, twice."

"Twice?" Barry arched an eyebrow.

"After Dr. Wells caught me he started swinging us and I thought he was trying to get me to let go," Cisco tried to shrug it all off.

"So, you still don't trust him," Barry said a bit slowly.

"Dude, he could still be Eobard and just playing with us," Cisco argued.

"Cisco, he's saved your life twice now. He passed all of the tests we came up with. Caitlin said he shows no signs of having been changed by the accelerator. His back is covered in scars from part of the lab landing on top of him. What will it take for him to convince you he's real?" Barry wasn't certain why he trusted this Harrison Wells, but he did.

"I don't know," Cisco said with a frown. "Maybe if he saves my life again? Seriously Barry, I'm trying to be safe. I can't let what happened happen again."

"Right. I understand. I just think maybe you should try being a little less hostile towards him. He's saved your life twice. Maybe thank him for it." With an exasperated sigh, Barry moved away, going to investigate a different part of the building.

"Any luck Mr. Ramon?" Harrison asked, approaching Cisco a few minutes after Barry had moved on from their conversation.

"Not much," Cisco said. "There's a weak signal that's clinging to everything. Sort of like an electrical ash." He studied his instrument as he spoke. Leaning forwards, Harrison studied the read out upside down.

"I wonder if that's why my hair is standing on end," the older man muttered to himself. "Almost feels like a static electricity build up."

"You can feel it too?" Cisco had thought it was just him.

"Yes. Get as many readings on it as you can. Have you been able to pinpoint an origin?" Harrison was trying to talk to the other man as an equal, not an employee.

"Not yet. The strongest reading is over in the clear space where the explosion originated, but nothing seems to be generating it." When they talked together about work, it was a little easier for Cisco to forget that he should be cautious around the other man.

"Hmm. Maybe whatever generated it is gone now," Harrison suggested.

"You mean we're reading exploded bits of Ray?" Cisco wasn't certain he liked that idea. Smiling, Harrison shook his head.

"No, Cisco. I mean maybe whatever caused the explosion left the residual readings but is gone now. Maybe Mr. Palmer isn't here because he went wherever it did. We know that alternate timelines or dimensions are possible. Maybe Ray ended up in one."

"Huh, you know, that's actually plausible," Cisco said with a surprised grunt.

"Don't look so shocked Mr. Ramon. I may not be a lunatic from the future, but I'm a pretty smart guy." Flashing a lopsided grin, Harrison turned his chair away and went to check on Caitlin and Ronnie. The couple were on the other side of the damaged floor speaking quietly.

"Dr. Wells," Caitlin said as her boss approached. "Are you sure you're okay? From what we've been told that was a pretty hard hit you took." Holding his hand up, Harrison shook his head.

"I'm fine Dr. Snow. Any injuries I may have sustained will keep until we've finished our investigation here and arrive at the hotel. What have you two found?"

"Nothing," Ronnie said. "There's a ton of damage and we aren't familiar with the lab contents, so it's hard to say if anything is missing. "

"The wind blowing through and everything around isn't helping. Not to mention making it cold," Caitlin added with a shiver.

"Agreed. However, I believe we have a copy of the specs for the ATOM suit. Take a look at it and then look around, see if you can find any remnants of the suit." Harrison smiled a bit grimly. "I don't think we should write Mr. Palmer off until we find something to prove he isn't somewhere else in his suit. Maybe he simply can't get communications established. We need to figure this out so we can help him if he needs it." He glanced over at Felicity, his face filled with concern.

"We'll keep looking Dr. Wells," Caitlin assured him. Nodding, he turned again, and returned to the established origin. Sighing, he sat, studying the floor, and slowly working his way up. When somebody came to stand next to him he didn't look up. After a few minutes of trying to follow Harrison's gaze, Joe spoke up.

"Find anything?"

"No," Harrison declared. Sighing, he sat back, glancing at his friend and then looking back to the floor.

"That was a pretty heroic thing you did back there for Cisco. How badly are you hurt?" Joe studied Harrison as he spoke. The other man looked tired, and seemed to be holding his right hand oddly, almost like he was trying to protect it.

"I'll live," Harrison declared. Sighing, he rubbed at the back of his neck with his left hand.

"You hurt your arm?" Joe studied the hand more intently. Reaching out, he touched cold fingers and watched Harrison flinch away. "Jesus Harrison, you've broken your wrist!"

"It'll keep," Harrison said after taking a few deep breaths.

"Na uh. I'm going to get Caitlin and when we get to the hotel you and I are having a talk." Shaking his head, Joe went to get the other doctor in the group. Watching Joe speak quietly with Caitlin, Harrison then returned his gaze to the floor, hoping to find something before he was dragged off to the hospital. Frowning, he leaned forwards and taking out a conical tube, he swept some debris into it. He capped it and slipped it into a shirt pocket. With it safely tucked away he pulled out another tube and swept more debris into it. As he sat back up to cap the tube, he saw Caitlin and Joe coming towards him out of the corner of his eye.

"Dr. Wells, Joe says you're injured," Caitlin said as she came to a stop in front of him. Glowering at his friend, Harrison slid his gaze to his employee and then shrugged, giving up. "Let me see your right hand," Caitlin demanded, her hands on her hips. Well aware that he was now the center of attention, despite the others pretending to search the floor, Harrison stuck his injured hand out.

Stepping forwards, Caitlin gently took the injured hand and started inspecting it. As she pushed the sleeve of his shirt towards his elbow and over the wrist Harrison drew a sharp breath. When Caitlin turned it over he flinched and whimpered. As Caitlin palpated and inspected the damage, Harrison's gaze locked with Joe's.

"We need to get you to a doctor now. This needs to be x-rayed, set, and immobilized," Caitlin finally declared.

"I'll go with him," Joe said. "I'm not much use here. That way the rest of you can keep working. I'll ask Mac and Eric to help us get down."

"Alright, but I'm going to call ahead to the nearest hospital," Caitlin informed them. "Joe, don't let him blow the doctors or nurses off. They will need to check him head to toe for injuries."

"Will do. I saw the fall so I can describe it to them. I won't let him slip anything past the doctors," Joe declared.

"If he's anything like Eobard, he'll be a little stubborn," Caitlin reminded.

"He is sitting right here and he knows when he has lost," Harrison grumped. He'd been looking back and forth between the other two as they'd spoken.

"You should have told us right away when you broke your wrist," Caitlin snapped at him. "Joe shouldn't have had to drag it out of you." Frowning at him, she went to get one of their guides and make the arrangements.

In no time the two older men were headed back to the ground level. Caitlin had explained the situation to everyone and Felicity had gotten her in touch with the hospital . By the time Mac had started taking the two men back down, Joe walking and Harrison strapped to her back once more, they were told there was already a car waiting for them. Overall, Harrison complained that they were all making a big deal out of nothing. Once they'd disappeared down the stair well, the others got back to work investigating the scene.


	7. At the Hotel

**Chapter 7: The Hotel, several hours later**

Sliding his key card into the slot and quickly back out, Cisco pushed the door open. Dragging his feet, he stumbled into the room and dropped into the first chair he found, dropping his bag as he did. A step behind him, Barry did the same, both men sighing as they finally got to stop. Felicity, Caitlin, and Ronnie entered the room a bit more lightly. Caitlin made a face as she stepped around the two bags.

"Okay, so there's a total of three rooms, each with private bathrooms connected," Felicity was saying as she entered. "These suites are maintained for Palmer Tech guests so you guys can crash here as long as you want." She glanced at her friends. "I really appreciate you guys coming out here at the drop of a hat."

"Felicity, you're our friend," Caitlin said, smiling at her and giving her a quick hug.

"Sorry you guys will have to share rooms. The kitchen is supposed to be stocked. Just call the front desk if you need anything. There's a weight room and a pool. I think they serve a hot breakfast from like six to ten in the morning." Felicity shrugged. Her phone buzzed and glancing at her guests, she turned away and answered it. As she spoke she stepped out into the hallway.

Returning a moment later, she glanced at a closed bedroom door. "I'm guessing Dr. Wells claimed that room. It's the only one that is accessible. That was the front desk calling to inform me that they'd checked him in about an hour ago."

"I'm going to go check on him," Caitlin said sternly. She strode to the door, knocking and then entering.

"Okay, so I'm not rooming with Dr. Wells," Cisco declared.

"Don't look at me. I fully intend to sleep with my wife," Ronnie informed his friend. "And we like our privacy." He gave Cisco a meaningful look.

"I'm rooming with Harrison," Joe said, coming out of the room Caitlin had vanished into. "We figured it would be the most comfortable arrangement for everyone." He sat on the couch, facing Cisco and Barry.

"Is Dr. Wells okay?" Barry asked.

"His wrist is fractured. They set it and put a temporary cast on it. He's trying to be stubborn about people pushing his wheelchair but I ignored him. I also read him the full riot act."

"Your full riot act?" Barry asked with a look.

Smirking, Joe nodded. "Damn straight. Just like I've read to you!" Frowning, Joe sighed and then shrugged. "Other than his wrist he has some nasty looking bruises and the scrapes on his face you've already seen," Joe replied. "You guys find anything?"

"Not sure," Cisco said, happy for the subject change. "We collected a bunch of samples but we won't know much until we get back to the lab and start analyzing."

"Which, if you want, you can fly out tomorrow afternoon," Felicity said. "I figure you'd want some time to rest up. So, pizza ordered in for tonight's dinner?"

"Food sounds so good," Cisco said, realizing they'd not eaten much.

"How many?" Felicity asked.

"Four maybe," Barry suggested. "I packed some special protein bars for me so I won't be pigging out." Nodding, Felicity stepped into the kitchen area to make the call for the pizza delivery. As she did, the door to the room Harrison and Joe were staying in opened and Caitlin stepped out, glowering back the direction she had come once.

"Cisco, Dr. Wells would like to talk to you. Don't let him push himself." She held a finger firmly to Cisco's chest and then sat next to Ronnie, smiling up at him and leaning in for a kiss. Sighing, Cisco looked to Joe, who shrugged, so the young engineer trudged to the door.

"Ah, Mr. Ramon. Come in and close the door," Harrison said from his position on the closest bed. Confused and a little worried, Cisco did as he was told. "Thank you. Have a seat." Harrison motioned at a chair which was next to the bed he was sitting on. Sighing, Cisco dropped into the chair, trying not to look at his boss.

"Is something wrong?" Cisco asked, crossing his arms.

"I was going to ask you that," Harrison replied.

"Uhm, what do you mean?" Cisco asked, sitting up nervously.

"I was wondering if you'd suggested all that testing the other day for a reason other than testing me," Harrison said. The first day the older scientist had returned to work after the singularity Cisco had suggested they test themselves to see if they had been changed. Ultimately Harrison had found out it was because the man who looked like him in the other time line had been manipulating everyone and even killed people. All the group had learned was that Harrison had developed claustrophobia since the accelerator explosion and he was in better shape than the entire team, except Barry.

"Why would you suggest that?" Cisco was worried. Where were the questions coming from? What had Wells picked up on? Sighing, Harrison picked something up from off the bed and handed it to Cisco. Taking it, Cisco frowned at the image. "What's this?"

"An x-ray of my wrist," Harrison said. "You really did a number on it."

"Sorry," Cisco mumbled.

"Interestingly, it isn't exactly the kind of break one would expect from catching another person or a piece of railing." Harrison waited, watching Cisco to see if the other man understood what he was saying.

"Are you saying I did this with some kind of meta-power?" Cisco asked, eyebrows arched in disbelief. In his own head, he was screaming in terror, and a tiny bit of excitement.

"You're saying you didn't?" Harrison returned with an arched eyebrow. "Well, look. Whatever happened, it hit me, especially my hand, hard enough to knock me toward the wall, allowing me to catch hold of the railing. It saved my life. So, thank you." Taking the x-ray from Cisco's hands, Harrison returned it to the folder on the bed.

"Uhm, you're welcome?" Cisco wasn't certain what had just happened.

"I know I make you uncomfortable so please go join the others. I'm going to get some sleep or at least a bit of rest." As if to prove his intentions, Harrison rolled onto his stomach and shifted his body around some, manually moving his legs with his good arm. Watching the other man, Cisco stood and headed to the door. "Turn the lights off on your way out," Harrison mumbled loudly enough for Cisco to hear him. Without answering, Cisco flicked the switch and closed the door as he left.

"Everything alright?" Joe asked as Cisco came to join the group.

"Yeah. He just had a few questions," Cisco said a bit numbly. So, he had powers, and Dr. Wells was suspicious of him. Joe watched the younger man rejoin the group and made a mental note to speak with his roommate in the morning.

Pizza arrived and the group rather noisily started eating. Felicity made excuses and left relatively early. Joe slipped into his and Harrison's room with a few slices for the injured scientist. The younger members of team Flash continued their night, glancing at the closed door only once or twice.


	8. Harrison and Joe's Room

**Chapter 8: Harrison and Joe's room**

"So, you want to tell me what really happened," Joe said as he put the pizza down on the bedside table between the two beds. Harrison had woken when the door had opened.

"You mean with Cisco?" Harrison arched an eyebrow.

"Yeah. The agreement was no secrets," Joe reminded his friend. Nodding slowly, Harrison sighed.

"I think Cisco might be a meta human." Joe laughed, realized Harrison was being serious and fell silent. "The damage done to my wrist should have been done by a projectile or concussive force. This kind of break does not occur because the bone is stressed by impact like rock climbing." He held up his immobilized wrist.

"Does Cisco know?"

"I think he has a vague idea. I'm not going to push him. When he's ready, he'll tell us. Right now, he's not a danger to anyone, so I'd rather have everyone focused on finding Mr. Palmer." Looking beat, Harrison relaxed back into the bed.

"Probably the best way to go," Joe agreed. "I'm going to get a shower. I brought you some pizza." Standing, Joe headed into the bathroom.

Ten minutes later Joe exited the bathroom feeling much better having showered. The light was still on in the room, but a soft snore issuing from the other bed told him that Harrison was asleep. On the table between the bed was the plate Joe had brought in, now empty of pizza. Taking it, Joe dropped it into the trashcan. He watched the other man sleep for a few minutes. The scientist had deposited his wire-framed glasses on the bedside table. Without the glasses, Joe would have thought the other man would look like Eobard. Studying him, Joe realized that Harrison looked different from Eobard. There were some stress lines missing and some that Eobard had never had. Sighing, the detective stretched some before settling into his bed for a good night's sleep.


	9. Come Morning

**Chapter 9: Come Morning**

Harrison was up before everyone else. At least, Joe assumed nobody else was up when he wandered into the living area tucking his shirt into his jeans. A bevy of tantalizing smells filled the joined living areas. Rubbing the last of the sleep away from his eyes, Joe leaned against the bar that separated the living room from the kitchen. Harrison was seated in his chair manning a frying pan at the stove. Seeing Joe, Harrison set down the turner he was holding and moved to the other end of the counter. He got out a coffee cup, filled it from a maker on the counter, and handed it to Joe.

"Thanks," Joe said taking the warm cup and trying to decide if he wanted to add anything to it. "How long have you been up?"

"Not long," Harrison admitted. "I didn't wake you, did I?" He seemed genuinely concerned. Moving to finish making his coffee, Joe shook his head as he padded into the kitchen to raid the fridge.

"No. Did you have problems sleeping?" Finished at the fridge he returned to the bar and sat, sipping his morning beverage.

"Some," Harrison admitted. "Eggs? Bacon? Pancake?" At the question, Joe really looked around the kitchen and realized that Harrison had cooked up enough food for an entire army. "I didn't know what people would like so I cooked a bit of everything," Harrison said, seeing Joe's look. Instead of answering, Joe just laughed and set his coffee down to grab a plate and start filling it with food. He returned to his seat and happily started eating. It seemed Harrison was a good chef.

"So, you do realize that Caitlin isn't going to let you do anything by yourself today," Joe told him.

"Joe, I'm capable of taking care of myself. A broken wrist isn't that bad, really," Harrison said, returning to manning the frying pan.

A door sounded and Joe looked up to see Cisco stretching and shuffling towards them. "Man, something woke my tummy up," Cisco said. He stopped in his tracks, seeing Harrison in the kitchen. Turning, the other man nodded at him.

"Coffee is ready, as is food. Grab a plate and cup," Harrison ordered. Giving him a weary look, Cisco entered, grabbed what he wanted and took a seat next to Joe. While Cisco ate Harrison finished cooking and started trying to clean up. The task proved a bit difficult when he couldn't get close enough to the sink for his liking.

Seeing that his friend was starting to get frustrated Joe piped up, "Leave it." Glancing over at Joe, Harrison frowned.

"I can manage," Harrison assured him.

"You cooked. Chef doesn't wash dishes. At least, not in my house. I'll get it," Joe assured him. He gave Cisco a stern look. "I'll have everyone else help." For a moment it looked like Harrison was going to argue, but then he nodded.

"Thank you." Turning his chair, he winced and started heading for his room. Cisco watched, his empty plate forgotten in front of him. At a look from Joe, he stood.

"Do you need any help Dr. Wells?" Cisco asked, jumping up from his seat after a not-so-gentle nudge from Joe.

Before Harrison could answer Caitlin and Ronnie exited their room. "Of course he needs help," Caitlin declared. "He can't put any weight on that wrist so he shouldn't be doing any transfers or pushing himself."

"Actually, I managed just fine this morning," Harrison countered. It earned him an icy glare from Caitlin. Her eyes flicked to Cisco. Behind her, Ronnie tried to motion for Harrison to be quiet but the warning came too late.

"If you keep putting weight on that break it will never heal," she lectured her boss. Her anger permeated the room, filling it with a noisy silence of displeasure. He looked frustrated and sheepish at the same time.

"I'll help, but don't know if I'll be able to help with the dishes too," Cisco said, glancing at Joe.

"You go help Harrison, I'm sure we've got the dishes and clean up covered," Joe declared with a weighted look. Sensing that the man wanted Cisco and Harrison to talk, Cisco nodded and walked up to Harrison in his chair. The young man hesitated for a moment, uncertain if his boss would accept the help. After another dangerous look from Caitlin, Harrison dropped his hands into his lap, sending a wincing glance over his shoulder at Cisco.

Under Caitlin's angry glare, Cisco hustled them into the room that Harrison and Joe had shared. Once they were both clear of the door, he closed it. Oddly enough, the room still felt as if Caitlin's glare was burning through the door at the two men.


	10. An Awkward Moment or Two

_**Warning, silliness ahead.**_

 **Chapter 10: An Awkward Moment or More**

Cisco stood uncomfortably in the room, looking around at anything but Harrison. "Thank you Mr. Ramon. I can handle it from here," Harrison declared, sensing the other man's hesitation. Ignoring his pain, he started towards his suitcase. Joe had moved it onto the bed and Harrison found it difficult to reach it in the new spot. Seeing the struggle, Cisco came over.

"What do you need?"

"I can manage," Harrison insisted. He didn't want Cisco's help, even if he needed it. The last thing in the world he wanted was Cisco's pity. The other man thinking Harrison was weak and helpless was a blow to his ego Harrison would not tolerate. "Why don't you just have a seat and I'll get this done." He grunted down some pain as he turned his body some to lengthen his reach.

"Thanks, but I'd rather not risk Caitlin's wrath," Cisco said, stepping forwards. "What do you need out of here?"

"My shaving kit and the change in clothes," Harrison said, giving in and accepting the engineer's help. "If it's all the same to you, I can handle the bathroom on my own."

"Right," Cisco said, reaching into the suitcase. Pulling out the clothing he frowned.

"Something wrong?" Harrison asked, seeing the odd look on Cisco's face.

"No, not really. Just, the you that I knew never really wore anything other than black or white," Cisco said. "And we've only ever seen you in black and blue. I guess I wasn't expecting this." He held up the lightweight bright red short-sleeved shirt.

"Yes, well… I'm not in the public light much anymore. I'd rather be comfortable on the trip home instead of wearing some hot dress up clothes," Harrison answered honestly. "If you'll just hand me…"

"What the," Cisco trailed off as his eyes lit upon something else in the suitcase. He started to laugh as he pulled out a pair of bright pink boxers with blue writing on them. There was a chemical structure on one leg. Frowning, Cisco stared at it before he recognized it and started to laugh. "Is that the chemical structure for testosterone?" A bright blush coloured Harrison's face as he nodded. "Where did you get these?"

Snatching the boxers from Cisco, Harrison showed him the other leg where the words, "Property of Tess Morgan," were emblazoned in the same bright blue. "Tess gave them to me on our wedding night. A packet of ten of them. One for each decade of expected marriage. She over estimated a bit. " At his words, Cisco's laughter died suddenly so that the young man almost choked on it.

"Sorry," Cisco said seriously.

"Don't be," Harrison said, staring fondly at the boxers. "Tess seemed to derive great pleasure in giving me embarrassing garments like this, especially because she knew I'd feel obligated to wear them." The love in his boss's eyes surprised Cisco. Eobard Thawne had never talked about Tess.

"I didn't mean to laugh," Cisco began but Harrison cut him off.

"Yes you did and I can't blame you. I'd probably laugh if I saw them in your suitcase… or get mad, cause why would you be property of Tess Morgan?" He smiled cheekily at the other man, enjoying the brief moment of friendship with his employee. Shaking his head, he dropped the boxers into his lap and tossed his pants and shirt at the bed.

"Uhm, do you need any help?" Cisco asked as Harrison headed into the bathroom after grabbing his shaving kit from where Cisco had put it on the bed.

"I'll be fine," Harrison assured him. He closed the door behind himself and left Cisco staring around the room.

As he sat, Cisco considered the moment he'd just shared with Dr. Wells. Since they'd found out about Eobard, before that even, when the dreams had started, he'd struggled with acting normal around the man. When this new Dr. Wells had showed up, Cisco's nightmares had started again. This time they had been of the timeline the new Dr. Wells was from. Through the dreams Cisco had learned his boss had been injured saving Cisco from part of the building collapsing. In the process though, Dr. Wells had been trapped inside of the building for several days before the EMS people would let anyone back in to search for him. Even knowing all that, Cisco found himself struggling to trust the man. It all seemed too perfect.

The bathroom door opened rousing Cisco from his thoughts. Glancing at the clock he realized about twenty minutes had passed. Freshly showered and dressed in the hot pink testosterone boxers, Dr. Wells exited the bathroom, wincing with each push of his chair's wheels. As he entered the room Cisco stood, his eyes quickly drawn to the bright, painful looking bruises littering the man's chest, arms, and legs.

"I'm going to need some help with my shirt," Harrison said looking more embarrassed about needing help than he had about the boxers.

"No problem," Cisco said, coming forwards, grabbing the shirt as he did. "I can completely understand that."

"Thanks. I can get my arms through, but can you pull it over my head? Hurts to lift my arms up very high right now." Nodding, Cisco followed his directions and in no time they had the bright red shirt covering Harrison's injuries.

"Uhm, how do you put your pants on?" Cisco asked, glancing at the jeans Harrison had tossed onto the bed.

"I can do all of that. You just need to help me transfer to the bed," Harrison declared, smiling at the relieved look on Cisco's face. He talked Cisco through the transfer and once Harrison was on the bed, Cisco stood smiling, proud of himself. He watched Harrison grab his trousers and start pulling them on, rolling onto his stomach to finish pulling them up over his butt.

"Now we have to transfer you back, right," Cisco said when Harrison was finished.

"Give me a minute," Harrison requested. Studying his boss, Cisco realized that the doctor looked exhausted.

"Uhm, about what happened yesterday," Cisco began, starting to feel comfortable enough to bring up the subject of his possible meta-powers. Holding a hand up, Harrison shook his head.

"Look, Cisco, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. There is only one more thing I will tell you. Just remember that no matter what happens to your body, you will still be you," Harrison informed him.

"Wow, that's… kind of sappy and deep," Cisco admitted.

"My thoughts exactly when a friend told me that," Harrison agreed. Looking up, Cisco frowned, moved to help the other man back into the wheelchair.

"Who told you that?" Cisco asked, wondering why any of Dr. Wells's friends would need to say something like that to the older man.

"You did, at least my you, when I was trying to adjust to the paralysis," Harrison said. "Come on, let's see who else is up." Nodding mutely Cisco helped Dr. Wells maneuver the chair around the bed and to the door. The younger man was still considering what had just happen as they left the room.

 _ **Please note: The boxers described do actually exist, though I combined two different boxers and I don't know about the colouring...**_


	11. Chapter 11: Headed Home

**Chapter 11: Headed Home**

Cisco pushed the wheelchair out the door, amused at Dr. Wells still trying to push himself. Knowing Caitlin, she'd kill Cisco if he let Harrison push himself. He wondered why the man was resisting the help. If he was truly Eobard, getting help would help cement the wheelchair farce. It seemed that this Harrison Wells, if that was who he was, didn't want any help at all. Sighing, Cisco ran a hand through his hair and gave up trying to figure it out. He still didn't know if he could trust the other man.

"All set Harrison?" Joe asked. He was seated on the couch and had turned and looked over to see the two men exiting the room.

"Well, showered and dressed. Ah, Joe, if we ever share a room again, do me a favour and try not to move my stuff, or if you do, put it back in place," Harrison nagged the other man. "I had some difficulty reaching my suitcase."

"Right. Sorry, guess I hadn't thought of that," Joe said a bit sheepishly. A knock sounded at the front door. Since he was still standing, Cisco headed over to answer it. Ronnie, Barry, and Caitlin were all seated at the table eating. Barry was on his fourth plate.

"Hope everyone is up," Felicity said as soon as Cisco opened the door. She entered and headed into the living room. "And by up I mean awake and not…" she trailed off as she blushed under the gazes of the others in the group.

"Good morning Felicity," Harrison said with a grin. "Thank you for providing the hotel suite."

"Yeah, well, you guys came right away and were up for almost 24 hours. So, is it too early to ask if you found anything helpful?" She tried to keep her face neutral, but her friends could read the desperate hope. Nobody spoke for a long painful minute and then Harrison cleared his throat, glancing at the others.

"Unfortunately Felicity, we still need to analyze samples we took. I still feel you shouldn't write Mr. Palmer off until we have solid evidence that he was in fact injured in or killed in the blast," Harrison said carefully. He didn't want to put Felicity in tears again, but he also didn't want to give her false hope. Pressing her lips together, Felicity nodded, dropping a hand onto Harrison's shoulder.

"I understand." Taking a deep breath, she moved on, "So, I have the plane waiting for us at the airport and two cars out front. That's the good news."

"And the bad news?" Barry asked, standing to start cleaning up his mess. Using his speed, he was done in a matter of seconds. Standing next to him, Ronnie smiled, holding up his and Caitlin's dishes. With a sigh, Barry took them, Ronnie patting him on the shoulder as he used his speed to clean their dishes as well.

"The news found out I had Harrison fly out to help with the case. Ray was declared dead after the first investigation. You being here has drawn some interest from the news," Felicity said. "They're camped out downstairs." A sigh sounded from Harrison and he ran a hand through his hair before combing it back down into place. He also removed his wire-framed glasses and squinted at them. Ignoring everyone else, he started cleaning the lenses on his shirt, having some difficulty because of his cast.

"Is there a back way we can go?" Joe asked. He wasn't sure how Harrison would handle the reporters.

"Yeah, but I don't know if we'll be able to sneak everyone out," Felicity answered honestly.

"I'll go out the front," Harrison said, still not looking at anyone as he put his glasses back on and letting a little "huff" of air. "That way they won't be looking for anyone else. The rest of you can slip out the back."

"You are not going out there by yourself," Caitlin began. "If you keep trying to push yourself that broken wrist will never heal! Don't make me sedate you and take away your wheelchair."

"Perhaps when we get back," Harrison said, with a sly wink.

"I'll push him," Felicity jumped in, hoping to stop the argument before it really took off. She was all too aware of how stubborn Harrison could be when he wanted. "The news people are looking for us, not you guys."

"Alright," Joe agreed. "Guess we'd better get ready to go. Can you have one of your cars meet us down there?" Felicity nodded.

"I'm ready now," Harrison said. "Just let me get my suitcase." He started to turn his wheelchair only to have Caitlin stop it, glower at him, and then go into the bedroom. She exited a moment later with his duffle in hand.

"Felicity, he is not to do anything himself. Is there somebody down there who can get him into the car?" Caitlin asked, giving Harrison a look. Another huff sounded from him and he took his duffle bag and settled it into his lap. Looking back and forth between the two, Felicity nodded. "Good. Make sure he doesn't use that hand."

"Promise. Come on Harrison." Patting the man on the shoulder, Felicity took over control of his chair. With a grumpy frown, Harrison shot a look at the rest of the group before sighing and turning back to face forwards. Ronnie closed the door behind the two, wishing them good luck as he did.

"Well, guess we'd better get ready to go," Barry said, glancing at the rest of the group. Nodding, they all turned to go to their rooms. Cisco took a moment, wondering what Dr. Wells would say to the reporters. With a sigh, he started for the room he'd shared with Barry. Maybe for a few minutes he'd forgotten that the older man could be Eobard and still manipulating them, but he was still suspicious.


	12. Facing Down the Headlines

**Chapter 12: Facing Down the Headlines**

Felicity pushed Harrison out of the elevator. They had been been silent on the ride down and Felicity could tell from the few mirrors they passed that Harrison had his lips pressed firmly together. She knew he hated facing the press. Seeing him smooth his shirt several times, she guessed he was feeling a little self-conscious about his attire. As they turned a corner, there were shouts and Felicity saw several news people headed their way.

"Here we go," Harrison mumbled. "I understand if you want to cut and run," he said over his shoulder. Already people were shouting questions at them.

"I'm not throwing you to the wolves," Felicity said bravely. It earned her a chuckle.

"In that case, you might want to pick up the pace, maybe we can use me as a battering ram and just run over any one who gets in our way." Felicity could hear the laughter in his voice and it made her smile.

"I don't think we should kill any of them," Felicity said.

"Can we maim them?" Harrison said, sounding like a child begging for chocolate.

"Dr. Wells, what are you doing here?" The first reporters had reached them and seemed intent on stopping them.

"Sitting in my wheelchair," Harrison replied. "You?"

"No, I mean what has brought you to Star City?"

"An airplane." A frustrated groan sounded from the reporter and Felicity had to put her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Dr. Wells, what is your relationship with Ms. Smoak," another report asked, coming up and slowing their progress even more. Arching an eyebrow, Harrison looked up and back towards Felicity. She arched an eyebrow back, wondering how he would answer.

"I'm sorry, I don't understand your question," Harrison replied. Felicity was still trying to push Harrison through the growing crowd of reporters.

"Why did you come to Star City?" This came from yet another reporter joining the group.

"Seriously? I'm not allowed to visit a city where I used to live?" Harrison gave them a grumpy look.

"Where's your electric wheelchair," a fourth reported called out. Sighing, Harrison rolled his eyes, and tried not to glower too much. "What happened to your wrist?"

"Ms. Smoak, how do you know Dr. Wells? Did you help with the particle accelerator?"

"Ms Smoak and I met through a mutual friend," Harrison declared. "After the particle accelerator." He gave them a weighted look. "Now, if you would please move, I have a plane to catch."

"Where are you going Dr. Wells?"

"Where one usually catches planes. I am going to the airport. Now, please move." None of the reporters moved but Felicity continued to push the wheelchair forwards so that they crashed into a case one of the reporters had set down. There was swearing as the wheelchair was forced to stop and the case jammed into Harrison's legs.

"Crap, Harrison, I'm sorry, I didn't see it," Felicity said, rushing around from behind the wheelchair. "Damn, your legs. Caitlin is going to kill me!" A soft chuckle sounded from Harrison and he leaned forwards, inspecting the damage and reaching down to dislodge the case.

"Don't worry about Caitlin, she'll be too busy lecturing me about using me wrist. I'll see to that." Looking up, he winked at Felicity, handed the case back to the reporter, and cleared his throat. "Now, let's go catch our plane, shall we?"

"Dr. Wells, why did you come to Star City?"

"Well, you know me, I own STAR labs so I thought it would be appropriate. I have an obsession with places with 'Star' in the name. Now, folks, please. I'd like to get home." Harrison did exactly as he'd said he would, taking over pushing and steering his wheelchair, managing to get enough speed up that Felicity had to jog to keep up.

"Caitlin is gonna kill me," Felicity muttered as she followed Harrison out to see him getting himself into the car that was waiting. Shaking her head, Felicity sighed and got in on the other side of the car.


	13. Back at the Lab

**Chapter 13: Back at the Lab**

Harrison and Felicity met the others at the airport. Caitlin fussed angrily at Harrison because he was constantly trying to do everything himself. After much verbal battle Barry and Ronnie helped move Harrison onto the human dolly to get on the plane and into a seat on the plane. With stern looks and the occasional throat clearing Joe did the transfers for Harrison once the plane had landed. He also managed to take control of the the wheelchair in the airport with minimal complaints from Harrison. Once in the cars the group headed straight to the lab. They were a somber group as they started going through the samples they had collected at Palmer Tech. They spent the entire day going through everything and trying to find something, anything that would tell them what had happened. Around eight in the evening the group decided to call it a night and go out for a drink.

"You coming Harrison?" Joe asked as he pulled his coat on. Sitting in front of a computer, Harrison appeared to be deep in thought so he didn't respond. "Harrison!" Joe said a little louder.

"Hmm?" Harrison looked up and realized Joe was waiting for an answer. "Oh, no. Thank you. I've had enough public outings for today. You all go ahead." He went back to staring at the computer screen, biting his lip as he did. Seeing that the other man was otherwise occupied, Joe nodded and went to join the group. He was learning to read Harrison's looks and this one suggested that the man was ready to be left alone.

The lab was silent once everyone had left. Harrison sat in the semi-darkness studying the computer screen and frowning. "Harrison, everyone has exited the lab," a soft, male voice declared. Looking up, Harrison arched an eyebrow.

"Thank you Artemis," he said. "Have you completed the analysis I asked you to look at before I left?"

"Yes, I have," the disembodied voice floated through the lab. It almost sounded like a more feminine version of Dr. Wells.

"And," Harrison said after there had been a moment of silence.

"There is a fifty percent chance the serum would work as intended." Harrison was silent, nodding and frowning at the answer. After a moment he sighed. "I'm sorry, would it not be better to include Cisco and Caitlin in the project?"

"No, no. They can't know about this," Harrison said sternly. "We'll just have to try a different permutation. Also, have you had a chance to look over plan B?"

"I have." There was the drawn out silence again. Rolling his eyes, Harrison sighed again.

"And?"

"I believe it will work. However, there are a number of factors to be considered before the design is complete. Have you considered potential impacts to yourself?"

"Don't worry about that Artemis. That's my job." Harrison fell silent, studying something on the computer screen. Frowning, he went to the microscope. "Artemis, have you been following what's going on here in the lab?"

"Of course Harrison. How else would I know that it was safe for us to talk?"

"Good point." Harrison cleared his throat. Leaning in he studied the microscope. After a moment, he leaned back, taking out the sample he'd collected but not shared. "Let's see." After a moment of intense study, he leaned back. "That explains it," he said with a grin and shake of his head. "Artemis, are you still goofing off with those micro-etchings?"

"I wouldn't call it goofing," the voice of Artemis replied. It earned a chuckle from Harrison. "Ah, you are teasing me. Yes, I still am."

"Good, I need you to send a message for me." Leaning back to look through the microscope once more, Harrison dictated his message.


	14. Cisco Gets a Call

**Chapter 14: Cisco Gets a Call**

Cisco, Joe, Barry, Caitlin, Ronnie, and Felicity were all sitting down to eat dinner when Cisco's phone buzzed. Frowning, he took it and studied the screen. Seeing a strange look pass over his face, Barry spoke up, "Something wrong?"

"Yeah, there's been an explosion at the lab. Contained, but it looks like it set the sprinkler system off," Cisco said.

"How could you know that?" Caitlin asked.

"I put in a new system of sensors and linked them to an app I made for my phone," Cisco said.

"We left Harrison there looking at samples," Joe said.

"Well, he may have found something cause this looks similar to the blast that ripped through the floor of Palmer Tech," Cisco said. "We better get to the lab." Standing, he'd just started to grab his jacket when Barry zipped off. The rest of the group rushed to follow as quickly as they could. A moment later, Cisco's phone rang.

"Cisco," Barry said into his phone as he cautiously approached the cortex in STAR labs. "I'm in the lab. There's smoke and stuff in the air. Where did the blast originate from?" He was moving cautiously, worried about another explosion.

"Cortex," Cisco said as he climbed into Joe's SUV with the older man and Felicity. Ronnie and Caitlin were following in her car as Joe put on his lights and started speeding through the city.

"Okay." Barry was almost to the room in question. "Looks like most of the blast was contained to the Cortex. The containment doors are down." He pressed his hand against the protective plates Cisco had installed in an attempt to improve security and protection at the lab. "Cisco, how do I open them?"

"You can't," Cisco said. "They'll stay closed until all danger has passed." Pulling his phone away so he could look at the screen, he studied the data he was seeing. "Barry, it looks like there are still some residual mini-blasts going off. Once the computers think it is safe the doors will lift on their own."

"So, all I can do is wait?" Barry asked, angry at being unable to do anything.

"Basically," Cisco agreed.

"Well, is there anyway to know if Dr. Wells is okay in there?" Barry stared at the doors, wondering what was happening on the other side.

"No. Sorry. The heat sensors were overwhelmed when the blast went off," Cisco said. "I might be able to override the sensors when I get there."

"How long?" Barry asked. He was leaning against the door, trying to figure out if he could hear anything from the other side.

"Three minutes, maybe less with the way Joe is driving," Cisco said.

"Hey, don't you bash my driving!" Joe said as he expertly swerved around another car.

"Not bashing it," Cisco said. "I'm pretty impressed. Car!" He clung to the door as Joe swerved again.

"I'm more impressed that Caitlin is keeping up," Joe noted. "One minute Bar!"

"I hate waiting," Barry grumbled. He listened to the rest of the drive, so he wasn't surprised when his friend joined him at the doors. Moving quickly, Cisco went to a side panel and a moment later the doors were opening. As one, the group pressed inside, looking at the damage done by the blast.

"Dr. Wells!" Caitlin called as she stepped carefully. She paused as she stared at the wheelchair. It was in pieces on the floor, a few pieces embedded in the wall. A soft groan sounded and she rushed to the side room, stopping in her tracks at what she found. A half an instant later she was rushing to check the body on the floor.


	15. Chapter 15 - The Body

**Chapter 15: Body on the Ground**

The others in the group were poking around the lab when Caitlin shouted from the side room. "In here!" Her voice rang out sharp and ordering so that they rushed over. Another groan sounded and Caitlin glanced around the room again. A chair was overturned in front of a desk. The groan had sounded from behind it.

"Oh my god," Felicity breathed as she realized that the body Caitlin was checking wasn't the body anyone had expected. "Ray!" With a shout Felicity rushed to the other side of the man on the floor. There was wreckage from the desk and microscope around him. "I thought you were dead!"

"Oh, surprise," Ray Palmer said with a groan. "Have I missed anything?" Carefully he sat up, blinking and looking around.

"Yeah, about three weeks," Joe said. "Where is Harrison?"

"I don't know. Look, I'd still be stuck like that if you guys hadn't sent the message. I didn't realize what had happened. I thought I was in a completely different world or dimension!" Ray grinned brightly, apparently pleased.

"Uhm, what message," Cisco asked.

"The one that said, 'you are the size of a large bacteria, you might want to fix that.' Really cleared a lot up for me," Ray said with a chuckle. With a grimace he got to his feet.

"We didn't send any message," Cisco said. "Wait, the size of a bacteria?"

"Yeah. I finally got the size modulator working on my suit! Still needs a few calibrations though," Ray said. He patted Cisco on the shoulder. "Thanks for the message."

"We didn't send it," Cisco said more firmly.

"Oh. Well, who did?" Ray looked around the group. "Wait, where's Harrison?"

"We left him here," Joe said. "So, where is he?" He looked around the damaged room.

"Here," a voice sounded from behind them. Spinning, Joe faced the wall with the chair and desk. "A little help, please." Leaning down, Joe looked under the desk. Squinting, he pushed the chair away. "Hi Joe. Did he get the message?"

"Harrison?" Joe was shocked to see Harrison huddled under the desk, looking a little worse for wear.

"Hey! Harrison!" Grinning, Ray bounded forwards, moving to help the man out from under the desk.

"How did you get under there?" Cisco asked, frowning.

"I'm not certain myself," Harrison said. "Ray, glad to see you got my message."

"Watch your wrist!" Caitlin moved forwards. Kneeling, she started checking her boss over for injuries. "Where does it hurt?"

"It doesn't," Harrison said. "Caitlin, I'm fine. Just a few scratches."

"Right. Just like you hadn't hurt your wrist," Caitlin said, giving him a look. "We need to get you out of there and on the examination bed. Ray, I need to check you too." She glanced over her shoulder and was surprised to see Ray Palmer standing right behind her.

"I'll get him," Ray offered. Moving back, Caitlin watched as Harrison got an arm around Ray's shoulders and Ray lifted him free. While Ray looked relatively uninjured in his ATOM suit, the clothing Harrison was wearing was tattered and his pink boxers were visible through some holes in his trousers.

At least the bed hadn't been damaged. The bed that Barry was so frequently treated on was in a different room, and Caitlin led the way, glancing back several times to check on the progress. She stepped aside at the bed so that Ray could deposit Harrison and then as Ray stepped back, Caitlin took over. The group watched as the doctor checked Harrison's eyes, his glasses had amazingly survived. Satisfied with those results, Caitlin moved on, carefully searching for hidden wounds and slowing down even more when she got to his legs.

"At least my lucky boxers survived," Harrison said with a smile.

"Thanks again for getting me that message," Ray said. Turning, he smiled at Felicity. After a moment of glowering, Felicity stepped up and threw her arms around him.

"Don't you ever do that to me again! No shrinking to the size of a bacteria without telling anyone!" Felicity said, tears streaming down her face. "What have you been doing to survive?"

"Uhm, you don't want to know," Ray said.

"How did you figure it out?" Felicity said, looking to Harrison. Looking up from fingering a hole in his shirt, Harrison shrugged.

"Not sure, honestly," Harrison replied. "Just a hunch. I took a sample and was looking at it under the microscope when I found him."

"How did you make the message?" Ray asked.

"Oh, uhm, I've been playing with micro-etching," Harrison replied. Frowning, Cisco came over and stood towards the back of the group. "I didn't realize he was going to release so much energy when he returned to size. Otherwise I might have made sure I wasn't in there."

"How did you get under the desk? Your wheelchair is across on the other wall in pieces," Cisco said.

"I wasn't in my wheelchair," Harrison answered. "I was sitting in the lab chair. I left my wheelchair in the doorway." They stared at him silently. After a moment he shrugged. "What, don't your butts ever need a change in scenery?"

"Sure Harrison," Joe said, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"So, Dr. Snow, can I go home now?" Harrison asked, looking down at his legs where Caitlin was carefully checking for any injuries. He just had a few bruises and scrapes so far, nothing serious.

"No. Absolutely not. I'm keeping both of you here overnight for observation," Caitlin said, looking sternly at first Harrison and then Ray.

"Oh, sleep over!" Ray said with a grin. "I'd love some company. Three weeks miniaturized can get lonesome. Not sure I'll go down to that size again."

"I'll stay too then," Felicity said.

"Well, I have to head home," Joe said, glancing at his friend. "I have to work in the morning."

"Me too," Barry said.

"I'll stay here," Cisco said. He didn't want to leave the others alone with Dr. Wells. Sighing, he followed Joe and Barry towards the exit. He wanted to talk to the other two.

"Something on your mind Cisco?" Joe asked as the trio walked the silent halls.

"Doesn't it seemed weird to you?" Cisco asked as they walked. "I mean, why was Dr. Wells out of his wheelchair? How was he out of it?"

"You're suspicious of him," Joe said.

"Yeah. I had already checked the sample he collected at the scene. He had to have been looking at a different one, so why didn't he give us that sample with the others?" Cisco shook his head. Any feelings of comfort about Wells had vanished when he'd seen the man in one place and the wheelchair in the other. "And I've not seen him messing around with any kind of micro-etching. So, how did he make the sign for Ray?"

"Look, Cisco," Barry began. "Right now, I'm not worried about it. Ray is alive, Felicity is a hell of a lot happier, and I'm ready for bed. We can investigate Dr. Wells another day." Smiling, he patted Cisco on the shoulder.

"Look, if it makes you feel any better, I'll talk to Harrison. Maybe he'd be willing to let you put cameras in some of the less private areas of his house," Joe suggested. "You can keep an eye on him. I mean, nobody wants to be in a wheelchair all the time."

"You're saying he'll agree if he's really Harrison Wells," Cisco said.

"Come on Cisco. If he doesn't need the wheelchair, he's not going to use it at home. If he doesn't need it, he won't let you put cameras in just so he'll have someplace to walk around and move," Joe pointed out.

"Fine," Cisco grumbled. "But I don't trust him." Shaking his head, he walked with them on to the exit. They might trust this Harrison Wells, but Cisco wasn't going to make that mistake again. He cared too much about his friends.


	16. Chapter 16 - Team Sleepover

_**Big thanks to GrassGirl for reminding me I hadn't finished posting all of this. This chapter is mostly just silliness in the lab. The next chapter will be the final chapter for this story. I know there is an underlying plot bit that will not be resolved. It will continue as a thread through the other stories culminating towards the end. Still no Beta. The Flash still doesn't belong to me, and I still make no monies from this! Enjoy! -CT**_

 **C** **hapter 16: Team Sleep Over**

Caitlin and Dr. Wells were arguing. Cisco could hear them as he got closer to the cortex. Their words weren't clear enough for him to tell what they were arguing about, but their voices were definitely raised. As Cisco entered the cortex he nodded a greeting to Ronnie. The other man had started work on cleaning up the mess from the explosion, though really it wasn't as bad as Cisco had thought.

"You are not cutting my clothes off!" Dr. Wells's voice carried out to Cisco. Curious, he entered the room where his boss and coworker were arguing. Dr. Wells was sitting up in one of the hospital beds fending off Caitlin who had a pair of clothing scissors.

"I need to assess any injuries you might have sustained!" Caitlin countered. Felicity and Ray entered, the latter now wearing STAR lab sweats.

"Oh, look, here comes Ray! Why don't you go check him!" Harrison wondered if he looked as desperate as he sounded. The wide eyed look of terror on Ray's face made the older man feel bad for trying to sic Caitlin on him.

"Dr. Wells, you were involved in an explosion. There could be internal bleeding," Caitlin said with a glower. Harrison started to shiver. "I need to properly examine you to make sure. Please stop fighting me." There was a sincerity to her voice which seemed to deflate the scientist. With a sigh, Harrison nodded.

"Fine, but please don't cut my lucky boxers. Tess gave them to me." Harrison said the last sentence softly, speaking her name almost reverently. Seeing the sadness in his eyes, Caitlin nodded. As she stepped forwards and started cutting the red shirt away, Felicity stepped up to the other side of the bed.

"My hero, saving the day yet again," Felicity said as she affectionately ruffled the older man's hair.

"Aw, why do you always have to mess with my hair?" Harrison grumbled, pulling away and trying to smooth his hair.

"Cause it always annoys you so much," Felicity replied with a smile.

"Holy crap I'm dead!" The exclamation sounded from Ray who was looking at the news. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Sorry, I guess the whole you're not really dead but you nearly blew up S.T.A.R. labs thing distracted me," Felicity shot back. Her phone rang then. Glancing at the screen she stepped out of the room as she answered it.

"Wonder who it is," Cisco mused, more to himself than anyone in particular.

"She's talking to Mr. Queen," Harrison replied. He was watching Felicity as she spoke on the phone. Meanwhile, Caitlin had successfully cut off the battered red shirt the older man had been wearing. "Oh, look at that, I wore a red shirt and I didn't die!" Only Harrison seemed amused with the thought. Cisco was thinking about other things.

"How can you tell she's talking to Oliver?" Cisco asked, frowning as he watched Felicity talk.

"Come on Cisco, look at her," Harrison chided. "Really look at her. Nobody else in the world makes her smile and blush like that. Her breath caught in her throat as soon as she saw the screen. That is a woman in love." As Harrison turned to look at the other man he was confused to see anger and distrust on Cisco's face. Hadn't they worked past that?

"Sure, whatever," Cisco said, trying not to glare as he turned away. A tired sigh sounded from Dr. Wells and briefly Cisco considered turning back but he didn't. He could not trust this man.

"Alright, it looks like you were right," Caitlin said, stepping away from the hospital bed. "Contusions, lacerations, nothing serious." Nodding his thanks, Harrison started to remove the leads to the heart monitor Caitlin had hooked him up to, but her hands stopped him. "I'd still like to monitor you for the night." Sighing, Harrison sat back his stomach growling noisily as he did. Caitlin tried to suppress a smile. "Why don't we order Chinese?"

"I'm famished," Ronnie agreed. He already had his cell phone out and was tapping at the screen.

"I don't care as long as it is normal food," Ray said. "Harrison, thanks again for helping me out."

"Not a problem. I'd recommend you be a bit more cautious when testing that particular feature of your suit," Harrison said with a smile.

"Okay people, what do you want to eat!" Ronnie called out to the group. One by one they put their orders in until Ronnie finished with his own.

They were sitting around staring at each other, Caitlin busily checking Ray and occasionally checking in on Harrison. At one point she looked over to see the older scientist edging to the end of the cot. "Dr. Wells, please lie down and rest!"

"Caitlin," Harrison whined. "I'm bored! There is too much adrenaline in my system to just sprawl here staring at the ceiling." His hands seemed to dance over the bed sheet covering him. "Can we please do something!"

"How about a game of cards?" Ray suggested, glancing over where Felicity was still talking on the phone.

"Boring," Harrison grumbled with a sigh.

"How about a movie?" Cisco suggested. Surely, they would all be able to agree on something to watch.

"Only if I get to throw popcorn at the screen," Harrison demanded. It seemed that he was so tired and restless he was reverting to acting like a child.

"I'm not cleaning up your mess!" Ronnie protested. "I could call Martin, maybe he'd bring a game over or something." This seemed to catch the attention of the restless scientist.

"Martin Stein?"

"You do know he's the other half of Firestorm, right?" Caitlin looked to her husband, wondering how different the world Harrison remembered was from the one they remembered.

"Yes, I just didn't realize we were talking… last time Dr. Stein and I interacted he was angry because General Eiling had forced me to turn the poor man over. Not my brightest hour." Harrison genuinely looked upset about it.

"Oh, well, Martin won't remember that," Ronnie assured his boss.

"What's Firestorm?" Ray asked. The group fell silent.

"Nothing important right now," Cisco said. Ronnie's phone buzzed.

"Food is here," Ronnie declared. "I'll go get it." Giving Caitlin a quick kiss he jogged towards the exit.

"I'll help you carry it," Ray said, getting ready to jump down from the bed he was sitting on. Dropping a hand on his shoulder, Caitlin gave him an angry look and he meekly pulled back. "Actually, I'll just stay here… and let your wife study me like an insect!" Glancing back, Ronnie just laughed. Silence descended, bringing it's good friend awkward along.

"So," Cisco said. "No movie?"

"Movie is fine," Harrison grumbled. "I won't throw popcorn."

"Nothing with monsters," Ray said. "Three weeks fighting bacteria has me monstered out."

"Maybe something classic," Caitlin suggested. "Or silly. I could do with a laugh or two."

"Animal House!" Harrison suggested enthusiastically. The others agreed and soon they were eating their Chinese and watching John Belushi and the rest of the gang get into mischief. Felicity had returned from her phone call in time to get her food and bully Ray into scooting over in his bed. Cisco took a desk chair. Caitlin and Ronnie settled into another desk chair, somehow managing to snuggle close enough together to actually fit. About twenty minutes into the movie Caitlin looked over to check on Harrison and laughed. Following her gaze, the others laughed as well.

Harrison had rapidly consumed his shrimp lo mein and put the container on the tray next to the bed. He'd then apparently decided to have some of his drink but not managed to stay awake. The scientist was fast asleep, his cup loosely held in his hand and his glasses pushed up awkwardly on his face by the pillow. Smiling at the sight of him, and giggling a little at his soft snore, Felicity leaned over and took the cup from his hand and placed it on the table. Slipping out of Ronnie's lap, Caitlin went to her boss and quickly checked to make sure he was okay before removing his glasses and setting them next to the table. She then lowered the head of the bed a little, made sure the sides were up, and tucked a sheet in around him.

"So much for being too wired to sleep," Caitlin mused, sharing a look with Felicity. Smiling one last time at her snoozing boss, Caitlin then returned to her husband's lap. They finished watching the movie, Ray falling asleep halfway through, and then moved to different rooms. Silence descended on the lab as everyone drifted off to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17 - Another Adventure Complete

**Chapter 17: Another Adventure Complete**

The next morning brought a boisterous breakfast with everyone talking and laughing, though Cisco was a bit reserved. Ray and Harrison were given a clean bill of health by Caitlin, and Felicity had a replacement wheelchair delivered for Harrison. She then offered rides home to everyone. Cisco and Harrison took her up on the offer, with Ray riding along since the two were going to fly back to Star City later in the day.

They dropped Cisco off first and Harrison off second. He spent a good part of the drive alternating between grumbling about missing the movie and rather childish glee over his new wheelchair. "You know you didn't have to get me a replacement," Harrison chidded Felicity as they approached his house. "I could have replaced it on my own time."

"Oh please. You were drooling over that wheelchair the last time we visited," Felicity countered, rolling her eyes and smiling.

"I remember that," Ray agreed. "You said something about needing to customize it. You two talked about taking an afternoon together if you got it." At the mention of the friendship the two men had once shared, Cisco and Harrison both fell completely silent. "I said something wrong," Ray observed.

"Ray, Cisco and the others remember a different man than you and I remember," Felicity said.

"The singularity was apparently two timelines merging and for some reason, those people who were in the lab remember a different timeline from everyone else," Harrison said, his voice serious and grim. "Apparently in the other timeline I was murdered and replaced by a man who had murderous intentions towards Barry."

"He pretended to be our friend," Cisco said, looking angry and sullen.

"It has, rather unfortunately, put a bit of a bump in the relationships within the team," Harrison finished.

"This is me," Cisco said, looking out the window as they pulled up in front of the building.

"I'll walk you to your door," Felicity said brightly. She got out and followed the young engineer up to his building. They paused at the front door, Cisco glowering back towards the car where he could see Dr. Wells and Ray talking and laughing. "You okay?" Felicity could sense the disorder in her friend's feelings.

"He killed me, he killed Barry's mother, and he manipulated all of us," Cisco said, glaring. "Yet we just spent the night watching movies and eating Chinese food with him like nothing happened."

"Cisco, I don't remember the world the way you do," Felicity began. "I do remember that Harrison was always there for us. He was always willing to help out and he just helped me get Ray back. I can't hate that man. That said, I will not judge you if you have to take your time getting to know him. He's a good man. Give him a chance." Smiling at him, she then leaned in and gave him a quick peck on on the cheek before turning and heading back to the car waiting for her.

"Yeah, right. Give him a chance to do it all over again," Cisco grumbled, turning and heading into his building.

Back in the car, Harrison fell silent as they headed to his house. He'd tried not to let the way Cisco saw him bother him. In fact, he'd thought they were past that, but the scene in the car had proven him wrong. Felicity and Ray had tried to not make a big deal about it, but they hadn't succeeded. They all knew that what Cisco had said hurt Harrison's feelings. They were a somber group when they dropped Harrison off. Like Cisco, Felicity walked with her friend to the door. She didn't bother to say anything though, instead just kissing him on the cheek and ruffling his hair.

"Have a safe flight back," Harrison said, not even bothering to complain about her messing up his hair. "Tell Oliver if he doesn't treat you right he'll have me to answer to." It made Felicity smile.

"Not sure that's a threat he'll take seriously," Felicity said. "Be safe. Thank you." Harrison nodded and watched her head back to the car. As the car drove off he turned his chair and entered the code for the house. As the doors opened he entered, favouring his injured wrist.

"Greetings Harrison," came the voice of Artemis.

"Hello Artemis. Have a good night?"

"The night was uneventful. Were you injured when Mr. Palmer returned to normal size?" Harrison moved through the house as Artemis spoke.

"A few bumps and bruises. Nothing more. I did, however, get copies of the new specs for the ATOM suit." The pleasure in his voice was obvious. "As soon as I get them downloaded start seeing if it will help with plan B."

"Of course. Will you be informing the others of your plans?"

"No." Harrison stopped in front of his computer, inserting a thumb drive and starting to work. "They don't trust me. Maybe they're right not to trust me. We work alone. I've not given up on the serum, but I'm also not turning my back on plan B. Perhaps we will try both."

"An excellent idea. Will you be engaging in your physical training?"

"No. I need to rest. No point getting everything in place if I'm not physically up to it." Harrison leaned in, studying the blueprints on the computer. "Cisco would love this. At least, he'd love the science and engineering aspect of it. I think he'd be like Caitlin and think I'm going about this wrong though. I can't let them stop me, so we don't tell them."

"Understood." The room fell silent as Harrison made notes and with the help of Artemis worked towards his goals.

 _ **That's the end of this story. The subplot I established here and hinted at in Meta-Tests will continue throughout the series (save one or two shipfics I wrote). Thanks for sticking with me and for all your reviews! -CT**_


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